The Scoop on Soup

Yes, it's finally soup weather. Although, it doesn't really feel like soup weather in northern California the past few days but we can pretend it's a chilly Fall evening.

I love homemade soup. Clam chowder is one of my all time favorite soups and I also love tomato soup. I'm a friend to all soups (however, I pass on all soups containing kernel corn. I have a strong aversion towards corn).

I usually like to eat other people's soup as soup making is a long process, especially cream-based soups. I attemped to make cream of broccoli soup last year and it was palatable. I had better luck with butternut squash soup (with splashes of nutmege and cinnamon) and I also made Whole Foods' black bean soup (you won't ever find a comparable black bean soup anywhere else). My version actually came out very close. This soup is great for vegetarians as well.

When I was younger, my mom would make a big pot of potato soup with chunks of bacon. She would make batches of homemade rolls and we'd warm our stomachs with steaming hot potato soup and rolls. It was an economical way to feed six kids and to fill our stomachs on a cold evening.

The one soup that I cannot stand eating anymore is lentil soup. Don't get me wrong, lentils are good for you but I ate so much lentil soup as a kid that I just don't like it anymore (that's right up there with my aversion to liver and canned corn).

The best soup I had last year was in Virginia. I was visting my brother in D.C. and we took a side trip to Alexandria. Between the crab cakes and the crab bisque, I was in nirvana. I had the most fabulous crab bisque soup. The flavors were amazing--hunks of real crab (not imitation), creamy rich tomato base with hints of sherry. Delicious!

Of course since I live in northern California and am not far from San Francisco, clam chowder is my most favorite soup. I love it served it a crusty sourdough bread bowl. That's what it's all about with chowder--the sourdough bread!

I love cream-based soups and one of my favorite soups is Trader Joe's Organic Creamy Tomato soup. It's actually very healthy (low fat) and it tastes homemade: a thick, creamy tomato soup.
I live off this soup during the winter months. I love dipping my grilled cheese sandwich in it or dipping garlic bread. It's fairly inexpensive as well.

I also stumbled upon a dry soup mix (just add water). It's a creamy potato soup mix and it tastes delicious served in a sourdough bread bowl. This is another great soup for vegetarians.

So that's my scoop on soup. I'm always on a mission to find a new "Foodie Fabulous" soup. If you have any recipes to share, please feel free to let me know!

Happy Slurping...actually, that's bad manners. It's better to sip daintily!